


As Birds Do

by cleanlittlesecret



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS
Genre: Gen, Guilt Issues, Implied/Referenced Parent Death, Kougami Ryouken-centric, Suicidal Thoughts, post-Season 1
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-11
Updated: 2019-01-11
Packaged: 2019-10-08 04:42:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17379773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cleanlittlesecret/pseuds/cleanlittlesecret
Summary: His father has died, the Tower has fallen, and Ryouken is alone.





	As Birds Do

**Author's Note:**

> “Sirrah, your father’s dead. And what will you do now? How will you live?”
> 
> “As birds do, mother.”
> 
> “What, with worms and flies?”
> 
> “With what I get, I mean, and so do they.”
> 
> – _Macbeth_ , IV.ii.30-33

Silence filled the cruiser in the wake of the engine being cut, and for the first time since fleeing his own home, Ryouken relaxed into the pilot’s chair as a sigh escaped him. The night stretched across the windows around him in defiance of the control room’s electric lights, and he was alone. What should he do now? If his plan had succeeded, he would’ve been gone—still alive in a technical sense, maybe, but no more conscious than his father had been all those years since coming home, and he would’ve never come back.

_Dad…_

An ache nesting in his chest, Ryouken pushed himself from the chair to his feet. He couldn’t dwell on that now, not when he had to be the leader again, so after climbing down the ladder into the main cabin, he found the old phone mounted on the wall and dialed a number he knew by heart. The phone’s spiraling cord swayed with the boat’s gentle rocking as he waited for the call to connect.

_What if he’s still gone?_

The dial tone went silent. “Hello?”

Leaning his back against the wall, Ryouken closed his eyes just long enough to give silent thanks. “It’s me.”

“Ryouken-sama.” Spectre’s voice had lifted, and after years of being together, it was easy to imagine his smile, but then his tone became serious. “The news is on. I see our mission has failed.”

Ryouken shook his head. That should have been _important,_ but at the moment, it was nothing compared to his other concerns. “Are you all right?”

“Yes. I’m in my apartment, and I don’t think I was unconscious for long after…” Spectre took a shaky breath. “I’m sorry—”

“Don’t worry about it,” Ryouken said. “I lost to him too, and I know you did everything you could, just like everyone else.”

A heavy pause. “Yes, Ryouken-sama.”

Ryouken gathered a length of cord in his free hand. He had to make order from this mess. “I’m out on the cruiser now, so I can’t check on anything in the city. I need you to see where the others are and how they’re doing.”

“Yes, sir. Anything else?”

“Keep your phone on you and stay safe. People are probably looking for us now, and the last thing I need is for you to be captured.”

“Understood. If that’s all, then I’ll call you back when I know something. Please take care of yourself, Ryouken-sama.”

“Thank you.” The call ended, and Ryouken returned the phone to its holder. The wisp of a connection had disappeared to leave him adrift again, so what could he do while he waited?

_Please take care of yourself,_ Spectre had said, so he turned his attention to the kitchenette occupying the other side of the cabin. It had been a while since anyone had done anything with the cruiser, so the cabinets were mostly empty, and Ryouken scowled when he found a cup of ramen only three days from its expiration date. It wouldn’t be the most satisfying meal, but he didn’t have a real appetite anyways, so after preparing it, he took the ramen and a pair of disposable chopsticks with him onto the deck.

Salt hung fresh in the air, a welcome taste after being trapped in stale rooms, and the ocean murmured around him. The city’s lights flickered as a speck on the horizon, and the water’s glow had long faded behind him, but a sky full of stars hung overhead. Ryouken sat near the rail and muttered an automatic, “Thank you for the food,” before splitting his chopsticks, but when the break was so uneven that the entire end of one went with the other, he twitched an eyebrow. When they were still kids, Spectre had always offered to trade chopsticks when Ryouken’s broke that way, and with nothing to distract him but his food, the memory brought with it times when Genome had tempted him with sweets while the other adults were cooking and Taki and Asou had discussed topics that flew over his head as they ate—all the little things that had ended too soon. Ryouken swallowed around the knot in his throat.

If he’d been better, he wouldn’t be here on this night, still awake and waiting for news. If he’d been better, humanity would’ve been saved five years ago, and most people would’ve been none the wiser. If he’d been better, everything would’ve ended a decade ago, or maybe it wouldn’t have begun. This problem was his fault, so it was his responsibility to end it, even if it would’ve been easier to follow his father from the world.

The food was gone long before the phone rang, and when he answered it, Spectre’s voice came as a quick, “Ryouken-sama?”

“What is it?”

“I’ve found Faust and Genome. They’re having some difficulty leaving the hospital because of everything going on, but I believe they should be out by morning. As for Baira, I’m not sure yet, but I think she’ll be more difficult. It seems SOL Technologies has taken notice of her.”

Three out of four people—considering everything that had happened, it wasn’t bad, and he could work with this much. “I understand. Good work.”

“Also…” Spectre hesitated, but Ryouken waited until he continued, “Your house is on the news now, and there are reports of a man’s body being found there.”

The pain cried in his chest, but he held his voice steady. “My father sacrificed himself to help me against Playmaker. I know he’s gone.”

“…I see,” Spectre said, and Ryouken rubbed his dry eyes. He could hear the _I’m sorry_ in the words, but he didn’t deserve pity or tears.

“I’ll stay out here for the night, but call me in the morning once those two are free so we can arrange a place to meet.”

“Yes, sir. Good night, Ryouken-sama.”

He hesitated. This little exchange had ended when his bed had stopped being too big and cold for him to sleep alone, but maybe he needed it that night. Of course, Spectre would know. “Good night. I’ll see you in the morning.”

After hanging up, he threw away the trash from his dinner and washed his face with cold water from the sink. In the morning, he would be every bit the confident Revolver again. This time, he wouldn’t have his father to guide him. This time, he would be the true leader of the Knights of Hanoi. This time, he would do it right.


End file.
